The desired use of rechargeable battery operated devices has created an increasing demand of cordless electronic devices including but not limited to cell phones, PDAs, laptop computers, MP3 players, digital cameras, portable GPS units, cordless personal hygiene products, and cordless hand or yard tools. Often the corresponding chargers remain plugged into a power outlet and consume power when the devices are not being used. This consumed energy has required power plants to accommodate the futile power continuously consumed by the plugged in charger, thus increasing nonrenewable carbon based resources such as coal, oil and natural gas.
The electrical outlet unit may be designed to isolate the charger from the electrical power source when the device battery has reached a maximum charge. When electrical isolation from a battery occurs, the charging device consumes no power. With power consumption cut off, no unnecessary power and nonrenewable resources are wasted. Further, certain embodiments of the electrical outlet unit allow the user to select the amount of time the battery is to be charged. Further yet, certain embodiments of the electrical outlet unit maintain a full charge on the connected devices by intermittently reconnecting the power.
In previous versions of electrical outlet units, in order to reduce the electrical load from the battery chargers, a set time was used for charging a battery. Once this time had elapsed, the device would automatically isolate the charger from the electrical power source. Once the power source was electrically isolated from the battery charger, no power was consumed by the charging device.
Once the device had completed a charging cycle, the device would remain disconnected until the initiation switch was pressed again to start a new cycle. After charging, a battery slowly loses its charge even when not in use. Left unattended for long enough, the charge loss would be sufficient to render the battery unusable until such time it was recharged. The prior art energy saving devices do not allow a user to adjust the charging time, or provide battery maintenance, to match the battery thereby maximizing the energy savings.